Looks like Free Radical is dead

[dammitmattt]

You're assuming alot of what I think and know.  Please dont put words in my mouth. And yes, gaming is niche.

I can only infer what you know from what you post.  And no, gaming is not fucking niche.  That is a ridiculous statement to make without qualification.  Almost every single person in the country plays PC/console/mobile/handheld games of some sort.  Even taking away those qualifiers and limiting the discussion to consoles, 41% of households had consoles in March 2007, and with the Wii's success, that number is probably closer to 45% now.

Please explain to a simpleton like me how something that is enjoyed by nearly half the people in the country in some capacity is niche.  It seems like you equate "gaming" to "people who like to shoot each other online every night" or some other odd qualifier.  However, it doesn't work like that.

Here is the Nielsen study:
http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/nmr_static/docs/Nielsen_Report_State_Console_03507.pdf

[demi]

Gaming is niche to old people scared to upgrade their technology

Reminds me of Wii owners

[EmCeeGrammar]

U mad?
I never said you were a "simpleton"

[dammitmattt]

I kind of agree but there were still some large budget heavy hitters on the PS1.  Wasn't FF7's budget $40 million?  Maybe I was off by a decimal place or something.  I don't know.

I also agree that is budgets are going to increase, then its expected to see a price increase.  Not only that but you got all the costs of marketing, transportation, retailer's cut, etc.  Its the games that have no reason to be more expensive (like the Square Enix premium on the DS) that bother me.

I don't know why, but this also reminded me of a few points that I forgot to mention regarding game pricing:

1. There should be more tiers.  Most games aren't worth full price and should be priced accordingly.  More companies would succeed in this industry if they understood this.

2. In addition to games getting more expensive, we're also lucky enough to also have access to smaller $5-15 games through download services, many of which offer hours and hours of replay.  I can't even tell you how much time I spent playing Puzzle Quest, Carcossonne, Ticket to Ride, UNO, and plenty of other XBLA games.

We've got the lower end of the pricing tiers right, but we just need to get that middle tier of $20-40 games right.

[BobFromPikeCreek]

Anti-hd gaming agenda? On evilbore?

[dammitmattt]

U mad?
I never said you were a "simpleton"

In my head, I was thinking about a recent episode of The Office where Michael first asks Oscar to explain something to him like he's a 7-year-old, and after still not getting it, asks Oscar to explain it to him like he's a 5-year-old.  Of course, the joke works better if I actually make it in the first place.

I was basically asking you to explain it to me as quickly and simply as possible.

[EmCeeGrammar]

Do you think people whose main gaming time is playing solitaire when the should be working or snake on their cell would spend money on standalone games?
If no, would it be more likely if games were priced more inline with dvds, books, and cds?

and now to actually read the nielsen link!

edit: I cant read a .pdf file now....
:[

edit 2: Regarding the 40ish adoption rate number. How much of this userbase is active.  Does it consider multiple purchases for replacing hardware and console revisions? As a for instance, the humongous ds ltd is misleading because its gone through 3 iterations.

[EmCeeGrammar]

Gaming is niche to old people scared to upgrade their technology

Reminds me of Wii owners

That shit is expensive. Us dirty and numerous poors wont be buying into hd for a few years.

[demi]

I'm sure they will have developed shielding for the harmful rays those LCDs emit soon enough

[dammitmattt]

Do you think people whose main gaming time is playing solitaire when the should be working or snake on their cell would spend money on standalone games?
If no, would it be more likely if games were priced more inline with dvds, books, and cds?

and now to actually read the nielsen link!

edit: I cant read a .pdf file now....
:[

edit 2: Regarding the 40ish adoption rate number. How much of this userbase is active.  Does it consider multiple purchases for replacing hardware and console revisions? As a for instance, the humongous ds ltd is misleading because its gone through 3 iterations.

Those type of people buy mobile games and casual computer games all the time.

To answer your questions, I'm sure that some of those consoles aren't being used, but multiple purchases per household only supports my argument, so I'm not sure why you brought that point up.

However, it doesn't change the argument that gaming isn't just for "a specialized market" (this is the definition that we're using here).  Both gaming and console gaming are extremely broad markets that span all demographics.

That shit is expensive. Us dirty and numerous poors wont be buying into hd for a few years.

Yep, your SD console is so much cheaper than my HD console.  SO much.

[brawndolicious]

I completely agree with the "tiers" for pricing idea.  I put about 85 hours into EDF2017 but I just can't justify it for $20 more.  Even though it makes sense to base the price of the game on how much depth and content there is, no publisher is going to take a step like that because they fear that it could backfire a lot.

[EmCeeGrammar]

A good size 1080p tv to use with said hd console is 2000ish.  I was referring to that.

[EmCeeGrammar]

.

[Phoenix Dark]

IF ONLY FREE RADICAL HAD RELEASED THEIR OBJECTIVELY TERRIBLE GAME ON WII THEY'D STILL BE ALIVE!

red steel is still keeping ubisoft in the black. smh free radical, smh

[demi]

My 1080p cost me 1300 - Not sure if 37" is considered a good size though, to a Wii owner

[Eel O'Brian]

while i wouldn't call hdtv affordable in comparison to sdtv, it certainly is manageable within a budget depending on your expectations

you can find 32" hdtvs for less than $400 now if you shop around, and i bought my 37" for $600

to clarify, i was thinking along the lines of this gen when i made my niche comment, as i think that the hd gen consoles are still kind of niche right now

but no, video gaming in general isn't niche, although i would hesitate to call it truly mainstream

[chronovore]

this fucking sucks.  It sounds like losing their deal with Lucasarts is what killed them dead.  They already put two years into Battlefront and Lucasarts just pulled the plug on them, WTF?  Not that I needed any, but this gives me another reason to hate on George Lucas.

You probably have your answer right there. Two years on an existing franchise/IP, from a team with proven specialization on FPS games, and they weren't close enough to shipping? Probably a very troubled project, though whether the trouble was mostly LA or mostly FR, or communication problems between the two, we'll never know.

[AdmiralViscen]

A good size 1080p tv to use with said hd console is 2000ish.  I was referring to that.

Are you distinguished mentally-challenged, you can get a good size 720p LCD for $400-500 with these holiday sales.

[dammitmattt]

My 1080p cost me 1300 - Not sure if 37" is considered a good size though, to a Wii owner

You don't want it much bigger than that if you're a Wii owner.  Out of my three HDTVs, it only looks decent on the 32".  Some games are absolutely hideous on my 55" from where I sit.

EmCeeGrammar,

It's truly awesome that you feel like you have to get a top-of-the-line set before you upgrade.  You do know that the Wal-Mart special would be a huge updgrade from your SDTV, and if you want to buy from most electronics retailers you'll be able to get no interest financing for 6-12 months.

Your rhetoric is almost as awesomely misinformed as idiots who think you need $2000+ to buy a gaming PC.  How can you be so out of touch?

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Nintendo fans love to be told lies and perpetuate those lies.

When the N64 was out and nobody was making games for it, Nintendo fans were absolutely convinced that developers were forced to be tight lipped under heavy NDAs that would get them thrown into Siberian gulags if they were to speak up.  Turns out, the games were never there in the first place.

When Game Cube came out, Nintendo fans were adamant that online play is useless and brings nothing to the table of gaming.  When Crystal Chronicles was announced, Nintendo fans assumed that SE jumped ship to Nintendo altogether and would port FFXII to the GameCube.  Such speculation grew so rampant that talking about it would get you banned at forums.  Surprise, surprise, people actually did like online play, FFCC was the only GC title released by SE and Nintendo's online alternative, Pacman on the GBA, failed miserably.

The HDTV bullshit excuses is just in the same vein.  Nintards are desperate to justify why Nintendo is releasing 2001 technology for $250.  HDTV is nowhere near $2000 unless you get huge screen 1080p TVs and let's be honest, the Wii looks like ass on a large TV (I have a 42" HDTV and seen the ugliness first hand), so I don't get why a Nintendo fan would invest money in a huge HDTV set up.  The HDTV excuse looks to be the new "Tight lipped NDA" of the Wii generation.

[Purple Filth]

Nintendo fans love to be told lies and perpetuate those lies.

When the N64 was out and nobody was making games for it, Nintendo fans were absolutely convinced that developers were forced to be tight lipped under heavy NDAs that would get them thrown into Siberian gulags if they were to speak up.  Turns out, the games were never there in the first place.

i never really paid attention to the n64 era but if true then


 

[Kestastrophe]

A good size 1080p tv to use with said hd console is 2000ish.  I was referring to that.

My 50" 720p Samsung Plasma only cost $800

spoiler (click to show/hide)

$350 of which was financed by selling my Wii and accessories/games

[close]

HD Gaman

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

My roommate got his 42" 1080p Bravia for $800.

Nintendo fans love to be told lies and perpetuate those lies.

When the N64 was out and nobody was making games for it, Nintendo fans were absolutely convinced that developers were forced to be tight lipped under heavy NDAs that would get them thrown into Siberian gulags if they were to speak up.  Turns out, the games were never there in the first place.

i never really paid attention to the n64 era but if true then

It's true.  The same argument I think applied for some era of the GameCube.  In fact, I think it was used until the Nintendo DS took off in 2005.

[Kestastrophe]

Looks like Crytek may have snatched up Free Radical. That could lead to some pretty cool possibilities

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/57079

[Purple Filth]

posted this too, but this is the better thread 

so could they finally have a console oriented team now for their engine and/or have a their feet in the UK?

Will TS4 rise from its grave?


Very interesting